#attacking-players

#attacking-players

The establishment of expected goals, or xG, showed, among other things, that the best goal-scorers score lots of goals mostly because they take lots of high-value shots. Finishing skill matters, but only at the margins. The ability to find space or create space near the goal, over and over again, is the unifying skill among all the best scorers on the planet.

Nearly 30 years have passed since a German footballer last won the Ballon d'Or, the sport's most prestigious individual prize. In 1996, Matthias Sammer was awarded the trophy on the heels of a European Championship victory for his country and just several months before he would go on to win the Champions League title with his club, Borussia Dortmund. Even before Sammer, German footballers had seen considerable Ballon d'Or success, particularly in the 1970s and early 80s.